They say you are more apt to follow through on something if someone is relying on you.

Have you ever “planned” to do a workout early in the morning, by yourself, and just hit the snooze button when your alarm went off? Put that same scenario into play, but your best friend is meeting you at the gym, at 5:30 am, to do a spin class with you. People are more likely to not hit the snooze button if their friend is expecting them to show up.

We put this same philosophy into play with our LiveFit Triathlon Challenge. We took our 6 Pack and put them into teams, or buddied-them-up. Bill and Sandy, Becky and Angie (see photo below from a recent workout) and Tina & Missy are training as buddies. They are holding each other accountable, pushing each other to do those last couple of reps and supporting each other when they are struggling to get motivated.

Working out with a buddy is not only holding you accountable, but it gives you the ability to relate to someone going through the same stuff you are. You will be sore together, can complain about a trainer (i.e. Junius) who is putting you through a hard workout and smile together after achieving a milestone fitness goal. It is fun to share that experience with someone else, especially one of your best friends…

A quote from Angie’s blog entry in Janaury:

“I’d also like to mention how happy I am to be taking this challenge with my workout buddy, Becky Rosenbaum. Becky and I worked out prior to the 6-Pack which has only been a benefit since our training began. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about our strengths, struggles and goals. I think we’re at the same fitness level which also helps during our training sessions. I look forward to seeing Becky accomplish this challenge. I look forward to taking the journey with her. We’ve only completed a couple weeks but I can honestly say that this has been life changing. I can’t wait to see how I feel after I complete my 1st triathlon!”

Today’s takeaway is “buddy-up!” Find a person, friend, spouse, parent or sibling, who you can take the journey to a healthier lifestyle with. This person will be your partner who you can rely on to get you through the challenging times of training, but will be there at the end when you cross that finish line. There will be an amazing sense of accomplishment, and what better way to do it than share it with someone close to you.

Something to react to: How has training with a buddy helped you through the challenging times of working out? Examples are great.

2 Responses to Don’t let your buddy down!

Having Sandy as a workout buddy makes it easier to keep my gym committments. She has been great to work with because we’ve got similar family-centered backgrounds, responsibilities and committments. Having similar fitness levels has been helpful too–but not entirely necessary–especially if using bodyweight-based exercises or machine-based exercises like treadmills, weight machines or spin classes. As well, especially during a particularly strenuous workout, it’s nice to be reminded I’m not alone.

Sometimes it’s tough to sync our schedules though, and in those cases I’ve found my kids and my wife to be good “stand-in” workout buddies. The motivational force goes both ways too. There have been times when I’ve gently pried my kids away from the Disney channel, and they’ve gently persisted in getting me to take them to go swimming or play basketball when reading a good book is so much more enticing.

Lastly, with busy schedules it can be easy to isolate yourself. Having a buddy can help keep you maintain a social connection.

Having Missy for my buddy has been great! I got to meet a great person that otherwise would have not probably got the chance to meet. She also pushes me through workouts even if we are not at the exact same fitness levels. She is such a strong person and can’t want to see her reach her goals as I reach mine! For example just last Thursday when we were training I wanted to give up and I looked up and saw Missy sweating her tail off and still going, I thought to myself I can’t quit she is still going.